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Executive board
2023-2024
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April Zhang, President
April Zhang is a fourth-year Environmental Studies major and Spatial Studies minor from Shenzhen, China. She immediately fell in love with Model UN when she joined this wonderful team as a freshman and has been with this team ever since. She is excited to introduce more people to the gorgeous and complex activity that is MUN and to the loving family that she never wants to say goodbye to. Outside of MUN, you can catch April interning in environmental law firms, editing and writing for the campus newspaper, and being an amateur landscape photographer. If you strike up a conversation about sushi or legos, she is listening.
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Noah Ropp, Chief of Staff
Noah Ropp is a fourth-year History major from Santa Clarita, California. He joined UCSBMUN in his sophomore year and has loved the connections, skills, and friends he's developed since then, both on and off of the circuit. Noah previously served as Director of Recruitment and as Undersecretary-General for crisis committees for the team's SBIMUN conference. He looks forward to helping the team function to its best capacity as Chief of Staff. Outside of MUN, you can catch him leading tours around campus and relaxing with some video games or movies, good food, and better friends. After college, Noah plans to pursue a career in public policy or politics.
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Jacob Varela, Director of Training (GA + Specialized)
Jacob Varela is a second-year student at UCSB with a double major in History and Economics. He is from Placentia, California in Orange County. He has been doing Model UN for four years now, with two years of experience in high school before joining the team here at UCSB. He is incredibly proud to be a part of the team that he now considers a family to him. He's traveled around the country (and beyond) for conference and chaired at SBIMUN and GauchoMUN. Outside of Model UN, you find probably find Jacob reading on the beach, trying to find new places to eat in Isla Vista, or cramming for his next economics midterm.
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Truus van de Graaf, Director of Training (GA + Specialized)
Truus van de Graaf is a fourth-year Sociology major from Camarillo, California. She transferred to UCSB from a ballet conservatory in Manhattan, New York. She is interested in exploring innovative solutions to global crises, so naturally, she gravitated toward UCSB's dazzling Model United Nations team. She is set to spend her summer working with local NGOs supporting the Youth Sports and Arts Refugee Program in Athens, Greece. However, If you're ever in search of Truus on campus, just follow the faint aroma of fresh espresso and lip gloss – or just check the tennis courts. She is excited to serve as a Director of Training for UCSBMUN and can't wait until next year.
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Ela Schulz, Director of Training (Crisis)
Ela Schulz is a third-year history and political science major. She began Model UN in college and quickly fell in love. (Her personal favorite are crisis committees.) Outside of MUN, Ela interns for Santa Barbara’s Congressman, spends time with her fraternity PAD, and works with her local Community Service District. After graduation, she plans to apply to law school and pursue a career in politics. For fun, she loves to read, cook, and knit!
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Byron Chan, Director of Training (Crisis)
Byron Chan is a second-year double major in Political Science and Economics from the Bay Area, California. This is his second year doing Model UN and he is excited to serve as a Director of Training for UCSBMUN. In his extremely limited free time, he loves listening to music, working out, and sleeping. His MUN hot take is that General Assembly is cringe and heartless. He is overall excited for an absolutely banging year.
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Tony Cao, Director of Finance
Tony Cao is a second-year Financial Mathematics and Statistics major. He was born in Beijing but grew up in Hong Kong. He has been a part of UCSBMUN since coming to college and enjoys traveling to conferences. His favorite part of MUN is the speech drills done in training and being able to push himself out of his comfort zone every week. As the Director of Finance, Tony hopes to maintain the team’s financial health to ensure future travel opportunities for members. Outside of MUN, his hobbies include math, chess, and reading books. He also loves going to the gym and playing soccer.
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Nancy Lopez, Director of Recruitment
Nancy is a third-year sociology major from the Bay Area. She can be found in a library or a Starbucks. She enjoys exploring new places, shopping, hanging out with friends, and watching the sunset.
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Aniket Panda, Director of Technology and Design
Aniket Panda is a second-year Political Science major and Poverty, Inequality, and Social Justice minor from Fremont, California. He has been doing Model UN for three years now and has loved being a part of UCSBMUN. Aniket's favorite conference that he attended was McMUN in Montréal, Canada. He has previously chaired at GauchoMUN and looks forward to being tech support for this club. Outside of MUN, Aniket is a research assistant with the Department of Global Studies and works for Fremont Debate Academy as a parliamentary debate kid in recovery. He enjoys surfing and watching the sunset.
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Tiberius Hernández, Director of Public Affairs
Tiberius Hernández is a fourth-year Political Science and Religious Studies major with an interest in eventually practicing international or military law. He has experience working for organizations dealing with intelligence, counterterrorism, and strategic deterrence. In his free time, Tiberius likes to touch grass and go hiking, climbing, backpacking, kayaking, and play tennis. Additionally, he is a sports fanatic who believes that the Padres are winning the series this year, that Checo will be the 2023 Driver's Champion, and that the 1985 NBA draft was rigged. Tiberius also loves Star Wars and is looking for a good deal on the Lego Ultimate Collector's Series Republic Gunship so he can build it with his girlfriend. Tiberius is also a member of the largest and most reliable LTE network in the United States.
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Jacob Evleth, Director of Community Outreach
Jacob Evleth is a third-year student at UCSB majoring in Actuarial Science from Huntington Beach, California. He did MUN for four years in high school, and this is his second year in collegiate MUN. He's competed at TrojanMUN, CHOMUN, and LAMUN, and has been a chair at SBIMUN and GauchoMUN. He loves to play soccer, watch hockey, and do photoshoots with his close friend weekly at the beach. He also has a ton of celebrity gossip that he knows personally. After college, he plans on becoming an Actuary at an insurance firm or anywhere else hiring for one. Jacob looks forward to serving as the Director of Community Outreach for UCSBMUN!
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Tara Mostafavi, Secretary-General of SBIMUN
Raised in the Bay Area, Tara Mostafavi is a third year Communication major pursuing the Professional Writing minor. Debating from the coast to the midwest, Tara has made the most of her time in Model United Nations despite it being her first year on the team. Feeling at ease when speaking impromptu in front of too many people, Tara enjoys MUN because it has transformed her into a confident public speaker. Friendships formed on the team have made countless hours dedicated to the art of MUN a joy. Outside of MUN, Tara does yoga, writes for WORD magazine, and hangs out with friends. Excited for the future, Tara awaits SBIMUN!
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Sofia Little, Secretary-General of GauchoMUN
Sofia Little is a second year Global Studies and Sociology major from Palo Alto, CA (and has a Bay Area superiority complex because of this). She has been doing Model UN since her freshman year of high school and fell in love with the debate and discussion of international diplomacy, which drove her to continue into college. Outside of MUN, you can catch Sofia at the scene shop building sets for the school productions, reading at the beach and drinking boba/coffee. After graduation, Sofia hopes to join the Peace Corps, hoping it will be life-altering and help her figure out what she wants to do for the rest of her life.
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